Eurogamer’s Simon Parkin loved Uncharted 3, giving the highly-anticipated game an 8/10, but he also had some things to say about the choices Naughty Dog made in creating the title. Parkin’s assertion was that Naughty Dog has lost some of the ‘game’ in creating their newest title: sacrificing actual gameplay to create excellent set pieces for Nathan Drake’s newest adventure.
Some Uncharted fans were not pleased.
Oddly enough, outspoken developer David Jaffe rode to the rescue with a post on his personal blog.
“Eurogamer's conclusion/criticism about games that are super heavy on the 'experience' at the expense of the 'play' is wonderfully thought out and presented and the only reason it's been labeled 'controversial' has nothing to do with the review itself and everything to do with the sad state of game consumers who have been so effectively conditioned by a number of the gaming press/gaming PR machines that these gamers leap to a title's defense-not that this gem of a game needs defending- without even being open to the reviewer's criticism (be it valid or not),” he stated.
“That's tragic. What's even more tragic is I would argue the games medium itself has been damaged by this practice. Irrevocably? No. But it has taken its toll for sure.”
In fact, Jaffe completely loved the review and believes that the industry needs more criticism in that vein.
“Besides having some great insight, what's great about the Eurogamer review is that it manages to be both positive and critical at the same time. It doesn't bash U3 at all and it clearly sings the game's many wonderful praises and achievements,” he continued.
“But it does call out what some people consider a fundamental flaw in many of today's console titles where making 'cinematic experiences' seems to have become a more important goal than making games. And it's nice to see that level of criticism and insight in games journalism, especially with a game as hyped and anticipated as Uncharted 3.”
Is Parkin’s review something that the industry has been missing as of late?
